This study seeks to ascertain if hotels across the South West of the UK price
their room nights consistently across each of the distribution channels
utilized, such as the hotel's website, `bricks and mortar' travel agents, third
party online booking systems, telephone, and emails. While studies examining
pricing consistency have been done among larger hotel chains or groups, there
had been no studies looking at smaller independent hotels, particularly hotels
in the UK. The results will suggest that hotel pricing across channels show no
comparable difference but indicates that the star rating of a hotel plays a
vital role in pricing decisions and in the methods of distribution
utilized.
Dubé, L.
and
Renaghan, L.M.
(2000)
`Marketing Your Hotel To and Through Intermediaries'
, Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly
February: 73-83.
2.
O'Connor, P.
(2003) `On-line Pricing: An Analysis of Hotel-Company
Practices',
Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly
February: 88-96.
3.
Carroll, B.
and
Siguaw, J.
(2003) `The Evolution of Electronic Distribution: Effects on
Hotels and Intermediaries',
Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly
. August 2003. 38-50.
4.
O'Connor, ref. 2 above.
5.
Stern, L.
and
Reve, T.
(1980)
`Distribution Channels as Political Economies:A Framework for Comparative
Analysis'
, Journal of Marketing44 (Summer): 52-64:
50
.
6.
Middleton, V.
(1994Marketing in Travel and Tourism. London:
Butterworth-Heinemann .
7.
Choi, S.
and
Kimes, S.E.
(2002)
`Electronic Distribution Channels' Effect on Hotel Revenue
Management'
, Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly June:
23-31.
8.
Emmer, R.M.
,
Tauck, C.
,
Wilkinson , S.
and
Moore, R.G.
(2003)
`Marketing Hotels Using Global Distribution Systems'
, Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly
October-December: 94-104.
9.
Anon
(2004) `Get Your Rates Right', URL (consulted November
2004):
http://www.caterer-online.com/archive.htm.
10.
Enz, C.A.
(2003)
`Hotel Pricing in a Networked World'
, Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly
February: 4-5.
11.
O'Connor, ref. 2 above.
12.
Cline, R.S.
and
Warner, M.
(2001)
`Hospitality E-Business:The Future'
, The Bottomline URL (consulted November 2004):
http://www.hftp.org/members/BottomLine/current/ebusiness.htm.
13.
O'Connor, ref. 2 above.
14.
O'Connor, ref. 2 above.
15.
Kim, G.W.
and
Kim, J.D.
(2004)
`Factors Affecting Online Hotel Reservation Intention Between Online and
Non-Online Customers'
, International Journal of Hospitality Management23: 381-95.
16.
Choi and Kimes, ref. 7 above.
17.
O'Connor, ref. 2 above.
18.
Carroll and Siguaw, ref. 3 above.
19.
Choi and Kimes, ref. 7 above.
20.
Hanks, R.D.
,
Cross, R.G.
and
Noland, R.P.
(2002)
`Discounting in the Hotel Industry: A New Approach'
, Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly August:
94-103.
21.
Anckar, B.
and
Walden, P.
(2001)
`Introducing Web Technology in a Small Peripheral Hospitality
Organization'
, International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management13(5):
241-50.
22.
Martin, L.M.
(2004)
`E-Innovation: Internet Impacts on Small UK Hospitality Firms'
, International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management16(2):
82-90.
23.
Kim and Kim, ref. 15 above.
24.
Anckar and Walden, ref. 21 above.
25.
Richer, P.
and
Carter, R.
(1999) Marketing Tourism Destinations Online: Strategies for
the Information Age. Madrid:
World Tourism Organization.
26.
O'Connor, ref. 2 above.
27.
O'Connor, P.
and
Piccoli, G.
(2003)
`"Marketing Hotels using Global Distribution Systems" Revisited'
, Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly
October-December: 105-14.
28.
Aksu, A.A.
and
Tarcan, E.
(2002)
`The Internet and Five-Star Hotels: A Case Study from the Antalya Region in
Turkey'
, International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management14(2):
94-7.
29.
McGee, W.
(2002) `Executive Summary: Booking Hotels Online: An In-Depth
Examination of Leading Hotel Websites', URK (consulted November
2004):
http://www.consumerwebwatch.org/news/hotels/executivesummary.htm.
30.
O'Connor, P.
and
Frew, A.J.
(2004)
`An Evaluation Methodology for Hotel Electronic Channels of
Distribution'
, Hospitality Management24: 179-99.
31.
Enz, ref. 10 above.
32.
O'Connor, ref. 2 above.
33.
O'Connor, ref. 2 above.
34.
Enz, ref. 10 above.
35.
Emmer et al., ref. 8 above.
36.
Carroll and Siguaw, ref. 3 above.
37.
O'Connor, ref. 2 above.
38.
Hanks et al., ref. 20 above.
39.
O'Connor, ref. 2 above.
40.
Buhalis, D.
and
Laws, E.
(eds) (2001) Tourism Distribution Channels: Practices, Issues
and Transformations. London:
Continuum.
41.
O'Connor, P.
and
Frew, A.J.
(2002)
`The Future of Hotel Electronic Distribution: Expert and Industry
Perspectives'
, Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly June:
33-45.
42.
Middleton,V.
and
Clarke, J.
(2001) Marketing in Travel and Tourism.
London:
Butterworth-Heinemann .
43.
McGrath, G.
(2005c) `ABTA.com Google Ranking Beats Expedia', URL
(consulted March 2005):
http://www.travelmole.com/news_detail.php.
44.
KPMG
(2004) Global Hotel Distribution Survey 2004.
KPMG International
, pp. 3-14.
45.
Enz, ref. 10 above.
46.
cited in ref. 47
47.
Buhalis and Laws, ref. 40 above.
48.
Hanks et al., ref. 20 above.
49.
Carroll and Siguaw, ref. 3 above.
50.
Enz, ref. 10 above.
51.
Hanks et al., ref. 20 above.
52.
Kim and Kim, ref. 15 above.
53.
O'Connor, ref. 2 above.
54.
Greenspan, R.
(2003) `Hotel Industry Makes Room for Online Bookings',
URL (consulted November 2004):
http://www.clickz.com/stats/markets/travel/article.php/1567141
.
55.
Carroll and Siguaw, ref. 3 above.
56.
Frewin, A.
(2004a) `Growth in E-Bookings Continues Worldwide', URL
(consulted May 2004):
http://www.caterer-online.com/news
57.
Cline and Warner, ref. 12 above.
58.
Frewin, ref. 56 above.
59.
KPMG, ref. 44 above.
60.
Dube and Renaghan, ref. 1 above.
61.
McGrath, G.
(2005a) `Booking Online Saves Money, Say Corporates',
URL (consulted March 2005):
http://www.travelmole.com/news_detail.php.
62.
Danziger, S.
,
Israeli, A.
and
Bekerman, M.
(2004)
`Investigating Pricing Decisions in the Hospitality Industry Using the
Behavioural Process Method'
, Journal of Hospitality and Leisure Marketing11 (2/3):
5-17.
63.
Danziger et al., ref. 62 above.
64.
Emmer et al., ref. 8 above.
65.
Emmer et al., ref. 8 above.
66.
O'Connor, P.
and
Horan, P.
(1999)
Failing to make the connection? An analysis of web-reservation facilities
in the top-50 international hotel chains
. Proceedings of the HITA Worldwide Conference. Edinburgh:
Hospitality Information Technology Association.
67.
McGee, ref. 29 above.
68.
KPMG, ref. 44 above.
69.
O'Connor, ref. 2 above.
70.
KPMG, ref. 44 above.
71.
Paton, N.
(2004a) `Online Deals Still Cheaper Than Direct
Booking' , URL (consulted November 2004):
http://www.caterer-online.com/archive.
72.
Paton, ref. 71 above.
73.
Travelmole
(2005b) `Self Booking Tools New Battleground for GDSs',
URL (consulted March 2005):
http://www.travelmole.com/news_detail.php .
74.
Travelmole
(2005a) `Pegasus Reveals New B2C Site', URL (consulted
March 2005): http://www.travelmole.com/news_detail.php
.
Anon
(2004d) `Hotel Leaders See Third-Party Sales as Main
Challenge', URL (consulted November 2004):
http://www.caterer-online.com/archive .
79.
Anon
(2004c) `Agents Feel the Squeeze as Hotels Take Up Online
Sales', URL (consulted November 2004):
http://www.caterer-online.com/archive .
80.
Enz, ref. 10 above.
81.
Carroll and Siguaw, ref. 3 above.
82.
Carroll and Siguaw, ref. 3 above.
83.
O'Connor, ref. 2 above.
84.
O'Connor, ref. 2 above.
85.
KPMG, ref. 44 above.
86.
Clark, M.
,
Riley, M.
,
Wilkie, E.
and
Wood, R.C.
(1998) Writing and Researching Dissertations in Hospitality
and Tourism. London:
International Thomson Business
Press.
87.
Eddison, J.C.
(2000) Quantitative Investigations in the Biosciences using
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